True Fiction

Chapter 11: Crisis

Ashen. Come quickly. There's not much time left. You need to unlock the gateway here.

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Ashen. Open your eyes. See the worlds waiting for you. I know you can do it.

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Ashen. You are the only one that can access this place.

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ASHEN.

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Night after night Ashen would wake up in a cold sweat after hearing that voice over and over again. It had been two months since the first dream and they relentlessly tormented his precious sleep. Although he usually just dismissed them, something had been bothering him for a while.

His blue state had felt unstable in recent use.

Every time he entered for an extended period of time, he would start to hallucinate and see messages. Similar to that of in his dreams. In all honesty he was freaking out. He wanted to ask his mother about it so bad but she had been gone at work for so long. Natasha was pretty busy too.

Ashen thought about his friends. They would probably be able to help. He got dressed and headed to school, forgetting about his dreams for a moment.

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He couldn't really concentrate on school. He felt restless and restrained. Although all the school staff knew he was a cyborg and didn't really need to go through normal school curriculum, they sensed something wasn't quite right with the robot boy.

Finally, the math teacher pulled him outside to talk for a while. Ashen couldn't really explain what was going on. He couldn't get sick. He definitely wasn't bored with all the antics going on in the classroom. All he knew was that he needed to find closure with this literal nightmare.

Taking advantage of his metallic nature, he lied about some malfunction and an urgent need to repair it privately at his home. The school staff were quick to let him go and relieved as he left the building.

Ashen had looked over and Ryan and Kenneth while packing his things. Kenneth was asleep and usual, multiple girls stealing glances at him every now and then and then glaring at each other. Ryan was more observant. When Ashen's eyes met his, the message was very clear that something was wrong. With a small nod, Ryan returned to whatever he was writing. It looked like sheet music.

Ashen quickly sent a text to Ryan to tell him his was heading to Kenneth's house. With the itching feeling getting stronger and stronger, Ashen was no longer in control. His body broke into a sprint all the way to the other side of town to reach Kenneth's house. All despite the fact he could easily have taken the bus.

As soon as he reached, he collapsed on the floor and instinctively activated his blue state. Things had changed a lot.

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From another city, a sinister man cracked a wide grin. The readings were off the charts. Today was the day.

"Go." He commanded.

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The once organised workplace that Ashen had spent much of his time creating and personalizing had descended into chaos. The colors were splattered all over the place and his things were all missing. Not to mention, there was a huge gaping portal in front of him.

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Come.

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